A Dance of Consciousness
A sacred map of the soul’s journey
Gyan Chaupar — the Game of Wisdom — is not a game of chance, but a dance of consciousness. At first glance, Chaupar (also known as Chaupad or Chausar) appears as an ancient board game with four arms, dice, and counters. But its roots run deeper. The name comes from the Sanskrit chau (four) and pad or par (steps or paths), pointing to its symbolic nature.
You're probably familiar with the children's game Snakes & Ladders (or Chutes and Ladders in North America), but did you know this playful board game originated from a much older and more meaningful game of moral, spiritual, and religious education?
Though its precise origins remain uncertain, versions of the game dating back hundreds of years have been found in Northern India and Nepal. It was from here that it travelled to Britain in the late 1800s, later evolving into the simplified children's version known today.
Unlike its modern counterpart, Gyan Chaupar was a game for all ages, intended to support personal growth by mirroring the journey of life. Adapted by Hindu, Jain, Vaishnava, and Sufi traditions, each version reflected unique spiritual and cultural teachings. Also known as Moksha Patam, Gyan Bazi, and Leela, the game invited players into a journey of self-realisation and awakening.
In this sacred game, the four limbs of the board represent the unfolding of the soul — body, mind, heart, and spirit. The dice may represent destiny, but how we move across the board reflects our awareness. Each path or quadrant mirrors aspects of the human experience — karma, desire, delusion, and awakening.
Every square is a teaching.
Every snake is a forgetting.
Every ladder is a remembering.
Some versions even map the chakras or energy centres onto the board, turning the human body into a playing field of energetic evolution.
The game begins in the heavens and leads players through cycles of life, death, and rebirth — the ladders and snakes representing virtues, vices, and the lessons of karma. It becomes a sacred map of the soul’s journey, a mirror revealing where we are, what we resist, and what we are ready to reclaim. Step by step, square by square, we begin the divine play of remembering who we are — not striving to win, but awakening to truth.
It is not just a game. It is a process of inner unfolding — a quiet movement back to the centre of being.
Reimagining of Gyan Chaupar
We first encountered Gyan Chaupar in a museum in India and immediately felt a deep calling to understand its meaning. What began as personal curiosity became a cathartic creative process. Inspired by our own insights, meditations, and research, we designed a new version of the game — one suited to our time and place in history.
Our first edition is a modern take using the 84-square grid often found in Jain traditions. Though non-religious in tone, it honours the game’s spiritual roots. It integrates multicultural symbols, virtues and vices, esoteric philosophy, and the chakra system placed at the centre of the board. Every square contains hand-drawn illustrations, some with hidden symbolism for curious players to explore.
Our aim is to reintroduce the real game of Snakes & Ladders to the modern world as a tool for healing, reflection, and the evolution of consciousness.
“With this modern version of Gyan Chauper, they’ve taken the original intention of the game, offering it lovingly into a space for people to come together as modern-day spiritual seekers to share, learn, grow, and evolve a deeper connection with one another. It is clearly a labor of love, hand drawn and beautifully illustrated.”
— Anita, founder of Wellspring Holistic Center
If you’d like to play Gyan Chaupar and explore these ideas in action, feel free to message me. Reserve your board or poster here: Gyan Chaupar
As usual, below are our 4 thoughts and 2 questions about Gyan Chaupar.
4 thoughts on Gyan Chaupar
From Ramana Maharshi
Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.
🪔 A reminder that Gyan begins with self-knowing — the journey within reflects in the world outside.
From Jim Butcher
Life is a journey. Time is a river. The door is ajar.
🪔 Like the roll of a die, each moment opens to mystery and movement. The board is always in play.
From Lao Tzu
Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom.
🪔 Gyan Chaupar is not about mastering others, but mastering the self — square by square.
From Carl Jung
We do not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.
🪔 The snake is not the enemy. It is a guide to what we must face and transcend to remember who we are.
2 questions about Gyan Chaupar
🪔 What has your inner wisdom whispered to you lately?
🪔 What truth within are you ready to remember?
Much love
Vineeta
If you’re curious about the game of Gyan Chaupar, find out more and get hold of one of our limited first edition game boards at www.gyanchaupar.co.uk